K. Michelle has finally opened up about her past relationship with R. Kelly and says it went far beyond music.
During an appearance on BET’s The Jason Lee Show, the singer revealed that she once had romantic feelings for the disgraced musician while he was helping shape her career.
“If it wasn’t for Robert Kelly, I would not know the business,” K. Michelle said. “I would not understand the skills of songwriting.” She then added, “I was in love with him.”
K. Michelle finally admits that she had a romantic relationship with R. Kelly.
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) April 8, 2026
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The singer has spoken for years about Kelly’s influence on her early career, but had never publicly described the relationship in those terms.
K. Michelle also said she believes the people around Kelly should be held responsible for what happened.
“I think mothers and people should be held accountable,” she said. “Should Sparkle go to prison? Absolutely.” She also claimed that he viewed her as “nothing” and did not love her back.
Sparkle, an R&B singer who worked closely with Kelly in the 1990s, has denied accusations that she enabled abuse involving her niece, Reshona Landfair.
In a recent statement, Sparkle said any suggestion that she “groomed, facilitated, or enabled harm” is “untrue and deeply painful.”
“I do need to be clear about one thing,” she wrote back in February. “Any suggestion that I groomed, facilitated, or enabled harm to my niece is untrue and deeply painful, especially given my documented actions at the time and throughout,” going on to say, “When the tape surfaced, and the state brought charges against him in 2008, I cooperated fully and testified under oath, despite immense pressure not to do so.”
K. Michelle disagreed, saying adults around Kelly knew more than they admitted.
“What about all the mothers that was in the kitchen cooking?” she said. “There were mothers in the kitchen cooking. I’ve never lied.”
K. Michelle first rose to fame on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta before launching a music career that included the albums Rebellious Soul and Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? She recently joined the current season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which debuted on Sunday.
